


Fire Emblem: Wandering Spirit

by Crow_The_Wicked



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crow_The_Wicked/pseuds/Crow_The_Wicked
Summary: REVELATIONS PATH Princess Corrin of Nohr, Princess Kamui of Hoshido. These are titles she bears. She is lost, but perhaps an old friend can help find her path.
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue: A Poor Choice Of Rest

_August 20th, 1500 AD (After The Dragons)_

"Are you sure this is what you wish?" The man asked of his student as he saw the boy stuff his tomes into the large leather bag. He clutched the wooden staff at his side and a linen wrapped object as he moved himself over to his disciple, "I bring you into this place of sanctuary to keep you from dying at such a young age, yet you throw yourself back into the dangers of this world when you haven't reached adulthood?"

He let out a hollow laugh, "Hoo hoo hoo… You are truly an oddity, August…"

The boy, August, shrugged as he slipped in his research notes‒ bound in a flimsy leather. Despite his insistence on leaving the place he called home, the old man did have a point. August liked to believe he knew enough about survival. He knew how to start a fire, knew how to determine what is edible in forests, knew the behavior of fauna. But it didn't change the fact that he was still fourteen.

"Maybe I am doing something incredibly moronic but I can't stay here forever, y'know." August turned to his mentor, dipping his head in a small bow. "I appreciate everything you've done for me these past six years, sir. However I need to know more about Ragea outside of what we have here in Notre Sagesse."

"Mhm," The sage hummed in understanding. "I can see where you come from. But I can't necessarily agree with it."

"What do you mean?"

"...Augustus, don't pretend like it's a problem." The man shook his head, his voice was low and taut. "Knowledge is a great thing to strive for, however you must not allow such a goal to be your only purpose in life."

August chortled, "Is that what you think? C'mon, this is a non-issue… What's wrong with always wanting to learn more?"

"I never said that," The sage shook his head and sighed. "Just know this, life has much more to offer than what can be found in the contents of a book. Humans crave something greater than themselves, but all have the same common desire. August, for your own wellbeing, I hope you find people who will love you. You deserve to be loved, every child in this world does. I won't ramble longer than I should, but please keep that in mind."

The boy looked away, unable to look him in the eyes. He simply gave a weak nod of his head as he kept his head facing the right. August felt his chest tightened at the thought, he was too busy to be worrying something as schmaltzy as that. He wanted to knock the old man's block off for saying that but he couldn't muster up the energy.

August adjusted his hood for the harsh winds of Notre Sagesse. But before he could sling his bag over his shoulder, the sage stopped from walking out the door with a quick word of 'wait'. August spun himself around, his face dropped into a tired visage and shoulders slumped as he kept longer than he should have been. However his mood brightened ever so slightly when the sage revealed what was in the cloth as his side.

"Woah… You gonna kill me with that?" August gave a dry laugh as he pointed to the sword that the sage pulled out from its sheath and raised for him to see.

It was a weapon resembling the ones from Nohr; it's grip was wrapped in crimson leather bands, it's crossguard curved downwards and was colored a dirty gold, and it's silver blade was accented with Hoshidan Kanji. From what he saw, August could see it had read 'Fire, Ice, Wind, Thunder'.

The sage gave a dry laugh as he sheathed the weapon and tossed it to August. Instinctively, he caught it and was shocked to find just how light it was. He was able to wave it around with one hand, no problem. As he began to inspect the strange weapon, August could hear the airy laughter of the sage.

"Hoo hoo hoo… Impressive is it not?" The old man sounded quite pleased with himself, his chest puffed up with pride as he straightened himself by his cane. August let out a snort, but couldn't help but smile. Despite its lackluster appearance, It was a pretty neat sword…

"The name is Fenrir, I crafted it from... unique materials. It may not look like much, it may carry little weight, but you'll see it's potential!" The sage laughed, sounding like an overconfident blacksmith.

"What's to say I won't lose it?" August was confident that he wouldn't but he needed to hear the sage's answer.

"You won't," The man chuckled, "You haven't in these last two years…"

August felt his lips curl at that, "Well, I suppose you're right‒ Wait, _what?_ "

"August… It's been two years since you've left," The sage laughed as August's vision of him began to blur. "Now, it's time to wake up."

"What? Wait, I‒"

"August…"

* * *

"‒It's time to wake up, boy…"

August flinched at the prodding of his back. His limp muscles slowly regained some energy. His eyes creek open to the harsh sunlight of… noon.

Oh for the love of… he slept in.

Unlike most who overslept, August was not in an inconvenient situation where he was to complete a task. No, he was placed into a more sticky situation. He was supposed to wake up so no one saw him here in this fortress.

To bring context, Augustus Claude was a traveler. Moving all over the continent of Ragea for the sake of knowledge. In his bag were two large books that contained his notes from various subjects. Magic, Philosophy, Tactics, Vegetations, Animals, Etc. For the last two years, he's been researching the Eastern half of the continent. Adding onto his collection.

Those two years were quite enjoyable. Plenty of food, little obstacles in his path, affordable inns, an almost perfect timespan of research. This gave him high hopes when heading for Nohr. After all, Nohr was a national superpower like Hoshido.

Hopes were shot down like an arrow to a tenma.

He couldn't find a bed to sleep in to save his life. Inns were packed with visitors that arrived to Nohr for arbitrary reasons. Food was expensive so the only thing he could afford was simple bread. (Ok, he didn't exactly have a king's fortune…) He would have gone and slept in the nearest forest on the outskirts if not for possible bandits.

But when he stumbled onto a fortress, he had an idea. August slipped through into the inner area with help of a well placed tree and a lucky boost of a wind spell. The few guards that were there were on the other side of the fortress. He would leave through an uphill spot next to the garden with another boost once he woke up before dawn the next morning.

Things looked good on paper. Only for it to come crashing down once he awoke to three guards with spears pointed to his curled up body. His mistake was relying on a small alarm clock he bought in Izumo for 10 gold coins. The thing stood there, silently residing near his misfortune. Damn deal seemed too good to be true…

August slowly shifted his head to the stoic guards, his body not moving from the curled position he was in. He gave a sheepish smile, "You wouldn't sympathize with a wayward traveler looking for a peaceful sleep, would you?"

"No."

"Nu-uh."

" _No._ "

"Figures…"

* * *

_April 4th 24th, 1502 AD_

"What happened?" Gunter asked the two station guards as he glanced at the boy in front of them. Chains bounded his arms together as he stared ahead with an agitated scowl.

He looked quite thin, a dark blue coat was set on his frame over a black shirt and each honey yellow knot was left unfastened. His black trousers had multiple pockets to each leg. The boy had a bit of color to his skin and his long tousled hair was a dark gray. His face was stern, onyx eyes were surrounded by dark rings.

He didn't look like he was from the Western region but he had no resemblance to the East.

"We found this boy inside the Fortress, he claimed that he was only looking for a secure place to sleep. But we found this…" The guard revealed a sword in a sheath from behind. He handed it to the elder knight, Gunter slowly pulled the blade out and glanced at it.

"It's quite light…" He commented before slipping the sword out completely.

"But look at the blade, it has Hoshidan scripture." The guard's finger rubbed against the engravings. "This boy has to be a Hoshidan spy!"

"Ok, wait!" The intruder interjected, raising his chained hands. "I will admit, I did break into this territory, but I did NOT do it for anyone else but myself."

He slowed his breaths and began to speak clearly, "My name is Augustus Claude. I was born in Notre Sagesse, I'm not from Hoshido or Nohr. I don't have an opinion on your current conflict with Hoshido, I just needed a place to sleep."

Gunter's eyes steeled as he examined the boy named Augustus. His eyes widened in desperate plea, hands were lightly balled up, he didn't look like a threat. Probably a fool but nothing dangerous.

"Alright, I believe you." The vagabond face lightened up at that. It was a shame that Gunter had to strike down his hopes. "But you did break into Nohrian territory and for that you will have to pay."

The elder great knight saw the boy's smile of relief fade. As if all his hopes and dreams were murdered before him, he dropped to his knees. Despite this unfortunate sight, Gunter pressed on. "I'll let you go and forget this happened if you pay a fine of 300 gold."

"300?! I only have 150!"

"...Then, I suppose we have to take you in." Gunter sighed as the boy stood frozen in shock, the guards lifted him up by arms. Augustus Claude then fell limp, groaning in misery as he was moved into the fortress.

They didn't have any cells so they had to find a room suitable for such an… odd situation that they were thrust upon. It would probably be a minor inconvenience but it would probably be most troublesome for residents though. Especially with their Lady's birthday coming up.


	2. The Queen of Dusk

_April 5th, 1502 AD_

The day before was… strange.

Corrin Arya was busy reading in her room, seating herself right next to the window to let the sunlight illuminate the pages. But when she looked down below, the princess found Gunter leading the guards into the fortress. They were carrying a boy, probably a little older than she was, he was weeping as he dragged into her home. 

So obviously, she could not have ignored this. When Corrin did ask Gunter, he claimed him to be an ‘criminal’ who broke into the fortress for an arbitrary reason. Leaving on that before tending to their newest ‘friend’. And again, Corrin could not have ignored this. Perhaps it was sheer curiosity but she wanted to know the full details of this foolish crime. How he was able to scale the wall astounded her even more.

But she was left with nothing. The strange boy was moved into the study room without much trouble. He simply gave weak groans of misery instead of an attempt to break free. Corrin couldn’t go into the room due to the guard watching the door. She saw Gunter walk in and out, taking out a large leather bag and a sheathed sword in hand. Whenever he went into the study room, he was seen carrying a plate of sandwich that Felicia made. 

The curiosity ate at her! What was going on?!

“Lady Corrin?” Jakob’s voice caused the princess to yelp in surprise. The young butler immediately gave his apologies before addressing the matter at hand. “Milady, your family is currently at the front of the fortress gate.” A smile formed on the butler’s face, “I assume you would like to see them?”

“Oh! Oh, yeah!” Corrin hopped a bit at the news. While her birthdays have been no less than spectacular, her fifteenth would be different. Her father, King Garon, would be visiting. “Thank you Jakob!” 

Corrin began to run down the hallway but stopped before she could turn the corner. She looked to Jakob and began to speak at an extreme pace, "Wait, what flavour is the cake? Leo likes vanilla but Elise prefers chocolate. But I think she-" 

"Lady Corrin‒" 

"Ah! Right, right!" The girl skipped down stairs. Rushing outside with her bare feet brushing against the warm stone bricks. 

Corrin bounced in joy as she stopped at the gate. The wagon slowly coming to a halt‒

"Tis' I! King Garon of Nohr, all bow before me!" Elise jumped out of the carriage with their father's signature cloak over her small body. Her high-pitched voice attempted to be deep and commanding. 

"Alright, you've had your fun. Now may I have my cloak back?" King Garon scooped up Elise with a laugh, slowly taking off the cape as his youngest child giggled at the fur tickling her skin. 

Garon was a man of strength. Towering over most and kept a strong physique in his old age. His face was hardened, scars laid on his chin as proof of battle and pale skin that looked to have avoided the sun for a year. His dark brown eyes were steeled. The once long golden hair he had was a silver gray with a short beard on his chin of the same color.

Despite such an appearance, seeing him made Corrin happy. Garon was a kind man but he was a dedicated king, the days he would visit were slim to none. Not even her siblings, who lived in the same castle as he, had much chance for interaction. 

The king walked up to his middle child and kneeled to meet her eyes. A small smile formed on his face, "Happy birthday, Corrin." 

“Thank you, father.” The albino princess bowed her head as her father rose. He gave his middle child one last grin before turning to the castle guards. Most likely speaking about their ‘visitor’. 

“Happy birthday, little princess.” Xander greeted Corrin as Camilla wrapped her arms around the girl in one large hug. 

“Fourteen years of age, my how time passes…” Camilla reminscened as she took both of her sisters by the hand. “I remember when you were still roaming around Castle Krakenburg. Oh how I miss seeing you down those hallways.

Castle Krakenburg… The name echoed in Corrin's mind as her siblings crowded around her.

Her time there was scarce, she was too young to remember it so. As Garon put it, Corrin was a girl unable to serve her kingdom as she was. 

Whatever vague reasoning it may be, Corrin was moved to the Northern Fortress. Right after the death of her mother, Arete. 

The poor woman was ill, bedridden with her husband at her side. Her death was not something Nohr felt much grief over. The woman was only queen for a few years while Garon’s previous wife and Xander’s mother, Katerina, was a woman held in high regard. Arete was left to be a footnote in history. And unfortunately, her own child did not feel much sadness at the thought of her. 

Xander said she was a kind soul with a voice that radiated the halls of Krakenburg. Camilla said she was beautiful, a woman that looked to have been crafted from the gods themselves. Her Father wrote her letters detailing how she was the one to bring hope back into his life. Yet no matter what people spoke of her, it didn’t feel right. 

As awful as it sounds, Arete was a stranger that Corrin would never meet. 

She walked down the path into the Fortress. The place that sapped the energy from her. Confining her, never letting her see more than what was inside her station. The place that never allowed her to see the woman her mother truly was.

* * *

Garon waved his children off into the Fortress. Though it was Corrin’s birthday, he had other matters to attend to. Namely, the boy who slipped through the walls. He spoke to the guards of the castle, his voice stern yet could not suppress the growing venom he had for their incompetence. 

“The boy… Where is he held?” The guards reeled back at their king’s voice. Despite his blank stare, they could see him withholding his anger.

“Y-your daughter’s study room, Sir Gunter is currently investigating the boy.” One of them, a young man, spoke at a rapid pace. Garon simply nodded for him to continue, “He claims to be from Notre Sagesse, not from Hoshido. Milord…”

Garon stroked his beard at the news. Notre Sagesse, a name he hasn’t heard in a long time. Perhaps he should see his daughter’s intruder for himself. The Nohrian King turned himself to the fortress but before he could take a step, he began to speak to the guards. 

“Unfortunately, I can not stay here for long. I must head to Demetria as soon as I can so please keep the horses fed until then.” Garon instructed, however his destination caught the attention of the guards.

"Demetria? Then…" 

Garon nodded, his lips curled into a smirk. "Yes, the country of Demetria has been annexed under Nohr." 

After years of wait, the green landscape of Demetria would finally serve Nohr. It was not an easy battle. Staging a coup through the stationed soldiers while under the treaty was an arduous task. If not for Iago's influence, then their efforts surely would have failed. Perhaps a raise was in order for the tactician. 

Garon walked into his daughter's home, where he saw two maids greet him. Flora and Felicia, if he remembered correctly. Twin daughters of Ice Chieftain Kilma. The one with light blue hair was steady in her bow, yet he could hear an exhale of breath from her nose as he walked by. Her pink haired sister trembled as he entered. But Garon could not bother to pay any further attention. 

He walked to the stairs, passing by his children in the main quarters. With a quick wave to them, Garon made his way to the second floor where he saw Gunter. The knight stood in front of the door like a sentry. 

He turned his head to meet his eyes with the king, "Lord Garon, pleasure to see you here." 

"It would be a pleasure to be here if not for this pest." Garon sighed, "What do you know about him?" 

"Only a little more than what I sent you through carrier falcon. He claims to have no interest in the discourse between Nohr and Hoshido, that he only wished for sleep when breaking in, that he claims to be a disciple of this 'Rainbow Sage'‒" 

"Is that so?" Garon interrupted. With a motion of his hand, the king ordered the knight to move aside. 

It was time to see who this boy truly was.

Of all horrible things in this world, August would claim boredom to be his nemesis. 

For over ten hours, he was stuck in this tiny room with his hands bound by a chain. The room in question looked to be a place of study, though with very little to challenge the mind. Shelves of simple Nohrian history books as well as a few combat strategies and tactics. Obvious bias was obvious… If not for those sandwiches then this whole experience would have been a living hell for him. 

The sound of the door’s lock clicking caused August to shift his head to it. He expected to get another round of food with some tea from the knight that stood outside the room. Instead what he saw was a man, not the same man who was gracious to him for his stay. He was someone who demanded respect by only stepping into the room. August shrunk under the weight of the pressure he gave off. Before him stood a monster guised as a man.

King Garon, he guessed. Gunter told him the fortress would have a visit from him but he thought the man was just scaring him. How foolish was the thought in retrospect. He’s heard stories of the king’s power but he didn’t expect to be this obvious.

“You claim to be a disciple of the Rainbow Sage…” The man shot straight, closing the door behind him as he took a seat. “Is that true?”

“Y-yes.”

The king gave a short hum, keeping his eyes steeled on him. He raised a canvas bag, pulling out a book that August recognized. It was one of his notes, the one where he jotted down what he had learned in _Hoshido_. Shit… He was gonna die, wasn’t he? 

The king flipped through the pages. And each page he flipped, another two drops of sweat erupted from August’s forehead. _Please know I’m not Hoshidan!_ He mentally repeated, praying to any god that will listen to his plea. As Garon turned his head to him, August felt a lump in his throat.

“You claim to not be Hoshidan yet you have studied much of their culture.” The king closed the book, taking a deep breath in with his nose. “Your story seems to align with your origin‒ you hail from Notre Sagesse, correct?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Garon nodded, “Your people have quite the fascination with seeking wisdom. But I've never seen a young man such as yourself travel between nations and collect such thorough notes." The king turned to him, his face still rough as stone. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me in Hoshido.” 

“Yes,” August swallowed hard, unsure of how to approach a conversation. “I must implore you that I have no horse in this race between your kingdoms. But I’ve heard of stories in my two years in the West. How Nohr was responsible for… the Death of King Sumeragi as well as the kidnapping of Princess Kamui. I’ve looked a bit into but nothing ever gave me a reason to spend much time on the subject.”

Garon hummed, whatever emotion he couldn’t discern. He spoke in a low voice, “I’m glad, Nohr has faced quite trouble from the West. I can’t necessarily say much of Sumeragi’s death myself, but I’ve tried to appease Hoshido by sending search parties in Cheve for their lost daughter. Yet all they’ve done is blame me and my kingdom for the loss of their royalty.”

His speech was even, clearly audible, no sense of hesitation. Either he was telling the truth, or he was that good of a liar. Whatever it was, August needed to tread carefully with this man. He was the one who was deciding his fate after all.

And despite this, August didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. “What is Nohr’s opinion on Hoshido, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Garon’s eyes shifted to him with a disturbing movement, his face was too stoic to be able to read. But August could sense Garon’s displease with him. The interviewer being turned into an interviewee, it wasn’t a smart move for August to make. 

The king cleared his throat as he straightened himself. “I suppose you don’t want Nohr’s opinion on Hoshido, you want mine.” No response from the boy, his eyes looked off to the side as his shoulders were raised. “Very well… To be frank, I would say Hoshido is… disappointing.”

“Why…” August coughed, “Why would you think that?‒ M-milord.”

“Curious one, aren’t you?” Garon caused the boy to tremble a bit at his gaze, “But I would make such a claim due to what I’ve seen. Hoshido is the superpower of the east that controls most of their farm lands. The east as a whole is where most agriculture flourishes. They have such a large monopoly on food yet they refuse to aid outsiders unless they are attached to the hip. All the while parading themselves as the paragon of peace…” 

August could see Garon ball his fist underneath his cape yet his visage remained frozen in neutrality. “While other nations suffer, Hoshido has ignored them. Only looking after their own. Do you know of the Mokushian conflict?”

“I am… aware.” 

It was a tale that lived in infamy. 

Eight years ago, Mokushu’s annexation of Kohga divided the small nation in half. Daimyos were split on this decision, believing it to be a step for Mokushu to be on the same level as Hoshido. A civil war eventually broke out, one side for the freedom of Kohga the other for retaining Kohga. But war did come to a whimpering halt. Hoshido gradually thinned out the country's food supply by stopping the trade between the two nations in an attempt to take neither side yet still stop the war. Effectively breaking their treaty of peace. All the while sending Igasto ninja to spy on the diminishing war effort. 

Many people in Mokushu died from starvation as much of the few rations went to soldiers, dying for a war that no longer had any meaning. Such an act caused Hoshido to become the villain despite their well intentions on stopping the conflict. In the end, Kohga was a distant memory in the rise of Mokushu’s hatred for the kingdom of dawn. 

August looked to Garon, who had the slightest upward twitch of his lips as he saw August contemplate. Most likely believing that he saw Hoshido in an awful light and he would lean to Nohr. However, the boy was resilient in his opinion. He refused to lean towards either kingdom's favor despite being in the presence of Nohr’s king. The supposed killer of Sumeragi, if Hoshido was correct. 

“Ha ha…” The quiet laughter from King Garon caused August to reel backwards. He saw the king smile, an… actual genuine smile. “I suppose since I shared a bit of myself, would you care to share about yourself? More importantly, why you chose to adventure between two kingdoms for research.”

"O-Oh… Sure." August cleared his throat, "In truth, I've been fascinated with the war between the First Dragons. How it all led the creation of Ragea. But little is actually known about the war aside from the tales from the first royals of Nohr and Hoshido." 

August stood up, moving his hands around with energy restrained by the cuffs. "The dragons that fought in the war aren't even all named. I know of the Dusk, Dawn, Flame, Wind, Ice, and Rainbow Dragon. That's only half of the dragons that fought for control of the land. I figured if I found as much information about the war from all over Ragea, I might be able solve the mystery." 

Garon laughed through his nose, standing up from his chair. "Quite the ambition for a child. And based on what I have seen in your research, you've done a lot more than look into the first dragons. Two years and you've collected this much about Hoshido…" 

"It's… ah, more of a skim really. I think I barely touched the surface of Hoshido, really… Milord." August added that last part quickly. 

"Perhaps, but to this extent?" Garon closed his eyes and took a breath. August began to tense under his steeled gaze. "But I suppose I've danced around the issue long enough. Despite your intentions, you were foolish enough to break into the residence of a royal. For this, you would face jail in our underground prisons." 

August clenched but quickly realized he said 'would'. 

"However, I propose a way to avoid this…"

"Leo, the dress you picked out for Corrin is wonderful!" Camilla congratulated her little brother, who looked away with a pout. Yet it was obvious that the boy was trying to force down a smile. 

Corrin held up the silver dress with black sleeves. It was quite the beauty, she'd have to admit. Leo did have nice taste… sometimes. 

The five Nohrian Nobles crowded together in the main quarters. Seated together as Corrin opened up her gifts while they waited for the cake to be done. Vanilla, much to Leo's delight. However their gift giving was interrupted when they heard heavy footsteps from the stairs. 

Garon finally entered the small party his children were having. A smile formed on his face as Elise chirped out 'Father!'. However, once he stepped aside, the cheery nature emanating from the room died down. From behind, he revealed the boy that was under the guards' capture. Standing there with a skittish look on his face with so many eyes on him

“Corrin.” The King began, causing the princess to widen her eyes in surprise as he directed his attention to the boy. “This is Augustus Claude, your new tutor.”


	3. First Day on the Job

_ April 6th, 1502 AD _

What happened last night was another interesting experience for the princess residing in the Northern Fortress. 

The boy who invaded her castle was suddenly appointed to her tutor by her father, the king! Perhaps he saw something in him that she didn't. Actually no, she can't say that. Because that introduction was the first time she saw him. And from what she saw… he looked,  _ okay? _ Nothing too weird like Father's right hand man, Iago, but he didn't look too friendly. 

As they continued the party, their father overlooking them like a stone statue all the while, Corrin noticed this August person in the corner. Nibbling away at his plate of food whilst he sat near the window. A blank expression as he saw dusk roll over them.

And today, he's just been hulled up in the study room. Sometimes moving out for more personal reasons in which she could assume. But there was not much interaction between her and her new tutor. 

Corrin furrowed her brows in thought as she stared into the floorboards. Gunter has been covering her basic education but apparently she was to move to more advanced levels with a boy that was older than her by only a couple of years. It seemed too strange to comprehend. 

“Are you alright, Little Princess?” Xander’s voice brought the girl back to reality, a wooden blade in each hand. Right… It was time for a sparring evaluation. 

“Yeah, I just don’t understand that August guy…” Corrin admitted, taking one of the swords from his hands. The two walked towards the rooftop where they would always spar. Corrin sighed as her feet grazed against the cold steps. “I don’t understand why father would hire someone on a whim. AFTER he broke into the fortress…”

“Well, Father did share some of his notes with me.” Xander admitted, his finger rubbing against his chin. “They were… surprising, I wouldn’t have guessed a man at the age of sixteen would be able to write that much and in the span of two years. Truly a mystery.”

“Maybe he’s writing a novel in my study room!” Corrin huffed, Xander gave a short laugh. “I can’t necessarily speak on his intelligence, because I sure haven’t seen it!” 

“Let’s push that topic aside for now.” The two reached the small arena, both combatants readied their positions as they moved to opposite sides of the circle. “And let’s see how much you’ve improved since I last visited!”

Corrin readied herself, taking her stance. Letting all other thoughts fade as she gripped her blade in front of her.

* * *

Of all the things that would happen when he began his journey into Nohr, August did not expect to get a job. Well not so much as a job, more so as community service. 

Until Corrin Arya of Nohr were to leave this fortress and join the Nohrian court, would he leave this place. On the bright side, he could still continue his research. He had a heavy restriction, yes, but he could still manage. 

Currently, the newest teacher was sketching out a lesson plan. His cloak draped from his shoulders and the ends cushioned his seat as he did. According to Gunter, the girl knows basic Nohrian History and knew deeply about etiquette. So the subjects he should cover are foreign affairs, laws and systems, possibly battle tactics for future wars, and maybe delve more into history. 

He also needed to brush up on the current politics of Nohr, as he mostly glossed over it. Political discourse caused him to steer away from such. So tactics and history were first on the list. Just needed to add‒

“Hello…” A shaky voice entered the room. Turning his head, he saw the pink haired maid. Felicia Eisward, younger twin to Flora. Members of the ice tribe, how they came to the Northern Fortress was uncertain. “I brought you sandwiches, but if I may, Jakob has prepared a stew! So if you like that instead‒”

“No, no! Sandwiches are fine.” August interjected, apparently she was quite clumsy according to Gunter. If she brought a liquid based meal into here then that would be most unfortunate. “Thank you, Miss Felicia.”

“Just Felicia is fine…” She smiled as she set down the silver tray onto the desk. 

“Well then ‘Just Felicia’, I would like to say my appreciation for the care you’ve given me.” Sure, it was a terrible joke but at least it got a bit of a laugh from the maid. 

August turned back to sketching up the guide, his quill pen scripting with a quick movement of the hand. With how much practice he’s gotten, August would be confident in saying he was quite the penmanship. As… arbitrary as that sounded. Anyway, August noticed a pair of eyes overlooking his work. He stopped to turn to Felicia, who shrunk underneath his sight. 

“O-Oh! Gods… Sorry! I didn’t mean to pry!” She scurried off, red-faced, much to August’s surprise. In her rush out the door, Felicia nearly bumped into the butler with a tray of tea cups balanced on one hand and a carafe in the other. 

Jakob Gareth was a young man of talent‒ in butlering. However, his personality was not one of a saint. As Gunter informed them of their little home, describing each of their residents. The old man claimed that in order to converse with Jakob, one would need a great deal of patience. May this be his test.

“Hrm… If it isn’t our newest member to our humble abode, perhaps you would like some tea?” Well, that was surprising, August thought. Maybe Gunter was just being hyperbolic.

“Yeah, actually. My throat is a little‒”

“But I can’t necessarily do such a thing, you might steal it or break it out of spite. Am I correct?” And there it was. The butler looked to August with a sharp glare that looked like he was trying to burn a hole in his head. 

August sighed, “No, no you are not… ‘Sides, why would I steal/break a teacup?” August retorted, causing the butler to glance to the side. “There’s no way to hide one, and breaking it in here would be a bit of a pain to deal with while I’m working.”

“Let me put it bluntly. I do not trust you. Not with Lady Corrin or even her study room.”

“Why…?” August slowly raised a brow as he drawled.

“Hmph! I refuse to believe that someone hired by King Garon himself would be stupid enough to break into someone else’s home for a nap!”

“I WAS TIRED‒” August coughed, letting himself calm down. Just had to take the wound to his pride and move on. “I… wasn’t thinking straight at the time. But I can say that all I’ve been doing is working on your  _ Lady’s  _ studies, nothing else. Nothing nefarious or evil, as you believe it to be. You can see it on the desk‒ ink still wet so don’t touch it.”

“No need,” Jakob sighed, turning himself with tea in hand. He gave one last glance to the tutor, “If I do see Lady Corrin hurt by you, expect nothing but comeuppance.”

August gave a quiet snort at that, waving off the butler with weak energy before going back to his work. First impression, not so great. But whatever, making friends is not a priority here. Especially with a simpleton such as the butler.

August continued to work until his hand cramped. His body became sore from the time he spent in that seat. And once he stopped to look out the window, did he notice how the sun was however the horizon in an orange glow. w. He looked to his progress, finding it to be fifteen pages that would cover the next few months or so. Maybe he should take a break.

But before any break taking can begin, the door to the study room began to open. With a heavy sigh, August turned his head‒ expecting it to be one of Corrin’s peons. He did not expect to see the princess herself walk in. She looked tired, her hair was wet and her skin was clear. Most likely because she took a bath after a sparring session with her brother. The previous screaming of ‘Hyah!’ told him so. 

“H-Hi.” The girl greeted with a bit of hesitation in her voice. “You're my new tutor, aren’t you?”

“Mhm. That’s what your father assigned me to, lest I rot in a cell.” August shrugged, as he leaned back in his wooden chair. “But forget I said that, what is it you need Milady. Er… Mi-student?”

“Just… Corrin is fine,” She cringed, biting her lip and twirling a lock of her silver hair. The princess looked away under the eyes of the boy in front of her. Gods, this was difficult. “So, what can I expect?”

“Hm? Oh, you mean the lessons.” August turned to the book laid out in front of him, the ink already dried. Supposed it wouldn’t hurt to share a bit. August turned to the princess with the lesson plans leveled on his lap. “We’ll be covering history for a week or two, then basics of battle tactics will be taught for a month or so with a bit of the…”

August stopped when he noticed the princess absentmindedly nodding along. Her ruby red eyes examined him as he read from his book. Which he closed with a hefty sigh. Her tutor looked to her, eyes serious and spoke in a low voice. “You were curious about me, am I correct?” 

“Yes, I am.” Corrin looked August in the eyes, “Look at it from my perspective. A boy comes in and breaks into my home, is put into my study room, is hired by my father to serve as my tutor, and I’m here unaware of it all until the last second. It’s all a bit vexing...”

“I understand your point,” August admitted, “It has been a strange two days for me as well.”

“But isn’t it your fault you’re in here?”

“...I see tact is not in your skillset, princess.” August sighed as he rubbed the back of her neck.

“Sorry,” Corrin mumbled out an apology as she took a seat against the corner. She patted the spot next to her, motioning for August to sit beside her. Which he did, though not with much energy. The princess hugged her knees as her head slowly drifted to them. “I can see why you're so grumpy, being trapped in here…” 

August wanted to respond to the ‘grumpy’ comment but held his tongue seeing the girl like this. Corrin continued, her voice still low and solem. “I guess I’m just being used to the Fortress… Hey, you traveled a lot right?”

“Yeah, for the last two years, I’ve been in the East.” 

“Wow, I’ve never even left these walls. Let alone the East!” Corrin brought her hands together and smiled a toothy grin. Revealing sharp incisors amongst her pearly whites. She leaned in, red pupils mirrored silver. August leaned back at the close proximity he was with the princess, so close that his nose was pugnated with the smell from her shampoo. 

Unfortunately, his discomfort went over the girl’s head. “What’s it like? Traveling from place to place?”

August gently pushed the girl backwards by the arm before he began to speak. “It’s… been interesting. I didn’t really get the chance to stay in one place. When I collected enough research, I just moved on. If I wanted to cover the whole East, then I had to be at least efficient. Besides, smelling the roses was never really my kind of lane, y’know?” 

“Hrm, I get that…” The girl leaned her head against the wall, “I just can’t but feel jealous, what I wouldn’t give to see what was outside the fortress.”

August shrugged, leaning his head back as well. “You just gotta be patient, your time will come. ‘Sides, it isn’t all that glamorous.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, being out there. All alone, fending for your‒ Forget I said anything…” August stood up and stretched his legs. He looked over to the princess, “It is getting quite late, I think I’m going to head to bed. I think you should too, Lady Corrin.”

The princess slowly nodded, unsure of whether to press August further on what he was about to say. She stood up, brushing the wrinkles off the hem of her dress, and waved her tutor off. “Good night, August. I’m… kinda excited to see what you have for me.”

Her tutor stood in the doorway, taking a pause. Unable to respond to that for some reason. Instead, he simply nodded along before moving out. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad, saying here. He had a constant roof over his head, food, and he could still continue his work. He just had a bit of a job on the side. 


	4. Hollow Dawn

_ September 4th, 1494 AD _

Princess Azura of Nohr burrowed herself from the rest of Hoshido. 

She had spent the last day in a lone room with walls of paper and bedding of simple mats, and she would continue to do so. The light of the dawn flowed into the room and the air was fresh on her lungs. Yet her breath was strangled due to the unfamiliarity of it all. Currently, the blue-haired princess covered herself in the blanket. Hiding herself from her kidnappers and praying to the Dusk Dragon, Erobos, to bring her back to the man she called father. 

The sounds of footsteps stepping across the floor slowly arose in her ears. Azura simply hugged the sheet tighter, hoping that the person at the door would leave her be. The Nohrian peeked her eyes from her blanket, seeing the silhouette of a woman. 

“Hello! I’ve brought food! I know you didn’t eat last night…” Azura attempted to tune the woman out. However, the sound of her stomach rumbling overpowered her resistance. With a heavy heart, Azura caved in and unswaddled herself. 

She opened the door, expecting to see a servant woman but who she saw nearly caused her to jump. Queen Mikoto stood in front of the girl with a silver tray of food. An omelette that rested on top of brown rice with a cup of tea beside it. The queen walked into the room and laid the tray onto the small table in the center of the room. She looked to Azura, motioning for her to go ahead. 

The princess crossed her legs and took a seat, slowly beginning to eat as her eyes refused to look away from the woman. As the spoonful of food hit her tongue, Azura widened her eyes. She chewed slow, letting the taste of seasoned rice and egg linger. It was similar to the food in Nohr but quite different, still… it was really good. 

“I’m glad you like it,” The queen took a seat, laying her knees onto the floor and folded her legs under her thighs. Azura blinked at the strange seating manner but decided on not speaking about it. She looked to Queen Mikoto, who flashed her a beautiful smile. “I had one of our best chefs prepare it for you…”

Azura swallowed bits of rice stuck to her cheek, and spoke. “You sound a lot like me.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean language.” The queen laughed, “Common Tongue or Language of the Dragons, Hoshido has it as well. But we stayed close to our roots, so you’ll be hearing a lot of Hoshidan around here.” 

Azura stared at her blankly, understanding a bit of what she just said. The young princess continued to eat from her plate with the queen watching her closely. As she raised her spoon, Azura noticed how solem the Queen's eyes were. Looking to be on the verge of crying. 

"Are you okay?" Mikoto was caught off-guard when the girl asked her that. 

"Oh, o-of course! Why do you ask?"

"It's because… you look sad." Azura dropped her spoon. Her voice broke as her eyes began to well up. "My mother looked the same way whenever we were harassed by the Castle attendants. And… Father looked like that when she d-died." 

"Oh…" Mikoto slowly moved herself to the girl, brushing her hand against her tousled hair. "You poor child, I can only imagine the pain you've felt at such a young age."

As Azura clinged onto the woman, she noticed a sense of… familiarity. Like she’s known this woman from somewhere. And not only that, she seemed so much‒ so much like her mother. Enough to let herself be weak, like the days in the Castle of Krakenburg. Where she would run to her mother after the harassment faced by its denizens. 

To feel such warmth again, by the gods, was she grateful.

* * *

After the blue-haired princess finished her plate, Queen Mikoto offered to brush her hair. Taming the tangled mess that was her bed head. The Queen admitted that Azura’s stay here in Hoshido would not be long. She would soon return to Nohr and her father. That sentence gave her mixed emotions, though she couldn’t fathom why.

“I have a daughter, the same age as you.” Mikoto admitted as the brush gently grazed Azura’s hair. “Her name is Kamui. I… I miss her a lot. It’s been a month since I’ve seen her, but I can’t help but worry about her safety.”

“Where is she?” Azura asked, turning her head to see the Queen suddenly stop. Gnawing at her lip before taking a deep breath. 

“Let’s… not worry about that now.” She placed the brush onto the table and took the girl by the hand. Plastering on a smile full of saccharine. “I want you to meet some friends!”

Mikoto led her down the hall, passing by art that decorated the walls. Murals of dragons hovered over lush landscapes. And one wall that depicted a man and a woman, wielding a bow with a string of wind and a katana wreathed in lighting respectively. The two made their way to the courtyard, where four children sat on a field of green.

“Mother!” A boy with silver hair rushed over to hug Mikoto. His tiny arms wrapped around her legs. He could only mumble with how much he choked on his tears. “W-When is… Big Sis coming back?”

Mikoto kneeled down to hug her step-child, “Soon, Takumi. Soon, I promise…”

The Queen looked to her red-haired step-daughter, Hinoka. She stared off into the koi pond with a face that lacked any life. The poor girl was there, alongside her brother Ryoma. She stuck beside Kamui as the Nohrian soldiers attacked. In the absolute chaos of it all, she lost Kamui. She lost her sister to Nohr.

The girl hugged her knees to her face as she sat on the edge of the pond, watching the koi fish swim around each other. Mikoto held Takumi in her arms and sat beside Hinoka. Rubbing the girl’s back, Hinoka flinched at her touch. 

She looked to her step-mother, unable to look her in the eyes. Hinoka mumbled, her voice cracking. “I-I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have let her out of my sights. I’m supposed to be her big sister, I’m supposed to protect her! I‒”

“It’s okay.” Mikoto attempted to console her yet she could not hide her own voice breaking. “It’s not your fault, you’re not the one to blame.” The Queen felt her chest burned at the thought of who did this. The dreadful kingdom that a kind soul like Azura would return to. “...We will solve this, I promise.” 

Mikoto turned to her eldest, Ryoma, who was busy tending to Sakura. The toddler held tulips that she picked, completely unaware of the situation their family was in. Wondering where Big Sister Kamui was…

"Ryoma?" Mikoto called, "Are you alright?" 

"Yes, Mi… Mother,” Ryoma choked out the word as he heaved Sakura off his lap. "I'm… alright," The Crown prince forced a smile and straightened himself underneath the gaze of his siblings. "Everything will be alright." 

Mikoto felt her heart sink as she saw the boy steel himself. Ryoma was thirteen years of age, yet he felt the need to fill his father's duty. Mirroring his late father's posture and forced a smile. 

"And the girl…" Ryoma looked to Azura, who hid behind Mikoto at her mention. The prince walked over to the Queen and whispered, "She's how we get Kamui back, right?" 

Mikoto slowly nodded. It wasn't right to treat children as a means of barter but it was the only option on the table to return her daughter to Hoshido. And despite how much of a monster Garon was, at least he loved his children. Azura should be fine in Nohr. 

She hoped… Her premonitions haven’t told her much of Kamui’s fate so all she could do is hope that this exchange of princesses would work for the best. The Queen looked to Azura, informing her that she needed to be somewhere else. Though her stay in Hoshido may not be long, Azura would hopefully get along with her children. Their nations may never be brought together, but at least Azura would have happy memories here. 

_ 'Arete… I will take care of your daughter until mine is safely returned to me.' _

* * *

_ September 7th, 1494 AD _

Azura walked over the wooden floors of the Castle, dressed in a Hoshidan dress. A kimono, they called it. It was quite beautiful, the light blue water design looked elegant and the silk felt nice on her skin. Just one little drop of Hoshido’s beautiful ocean. Not to say that Nohr didn’t have its own beauty, but one would have to look past its rough exterior. 

The princess made her way into the throne room, where she found Ryoma. The boy was swinging a wooden blade with the posture of a samurai. But Azura could feel something was wrong, she saw how Ryoma’s grip shook with each whip of the sword. As if it could fly out of his hands any moment.

“Hello, Ryoma…” Azura greeted the older boy with a soft voice. “Why are you waving that stick around? Are you playing?”

“I wasn’t playing,” He answered sternly, “I’m training, testing out my stance and swings of my blade. If I put too much energy, it’ll leave me open for an attack. If I put too little, then I’ll be wasting my time. I need to find a rhythm that’ll work best for me.”

Ryoma lowered his hand, his grip tightened. The sword shook as he looked to the ground. “If I am to follow in my father’s footsteps, then I’ll have to master my swordsmanship. Master the Raijinto, then I’ll have my revenge on those Nohrian Savages!”

The prince flinched, remembering who he was talking to. He turned to Azura, stumbling on his words. “I-I mean… Not all Nohrians! I…”

“It’s okay,” Azura cut him off before he could stammer any further. “I know why you hate Nohr. I know why Takumi and Hinoka didn’t like me.”

“They don’t‒” Ryoma sighed, “Takumi is too young to understand, and Hinoka hasn’t really talked to anyone for the past few days. No one hates you, Azura. And if they do, it’s unjustified.”

Azura turned away at that, looking out down the large hallway of the throne room. Though Hoshido was a beautiful sight, she could not adjust. Just like in Krakenburg, the servants of Shirasagi looked to the girl with their noses up. Except she did not have her father, Garon, with her. Protecting her… 

He may have not been related to her by blood, but he certainly treated her like she was. And… he was the one who stuck beside her during her mother's funeral. 

"I want to go home…" Azura whispered as she gazed over the hollow beauty of Castle Shirasagi. 

* * *

_ September 12th, 1494 AD _

Shirasagi Square was bathed in the golden glow of dawn. Five statues stood at the town square and at the center of it all was a stone statue of Hoshido’s God, Byakuja. It’s noodle-like body wrapped around an orb atop of a pillar, it’s head looked downward as it flexed its wings. Azura admired the sight as she walked with Ryoma and Hinoka. 

Whilst Mikoto was busy with her tactician, Yukimura, Ryoma offered to show Azura around Shirasagi. Hinoka was forced to tag in order to get her outside. Her long red hair was left tousled and unkempt, her kimono was wrinkled, and she looked to the ground with a pout. 

“Hinoka, do you want something?” Ryoma pointed to the sweets cart across from them.

“No, go ahead…” Hinoka sighed, waving her brother off. 

Ryoma blinked, he opened his mouth to say something but hesitated as Hinoka walked off to get some shade. The eldest sibling sighed before turning to the blue haired girl at his side. Azura clicked her geta onto the ground in a short rhythm, her face scrunched at the wooden sandals they picked out for her. 

“Azura?” Ryoma’s voice brought her attention to him, “Do you want any sweets?”

“Okay…” She muttered before grasping Ryoma’s hand, the prince smiled. Though Mikoto was working on a way to return both princesses to their rightful homes, he did enjoy Azura’s company. She was like a little sister in the few days they've known each other. 

They walked up to the cart, Azura’s eyes scanned the drawn image of treats. Her small finger immediately went for the image of a brown fish. She couldn’t read Kanji but the familiar image of a fish did draw her in. 

“Ah, two taiyaki please!” Ryoma looked to Hinoka, who laid her back onto the stone walls underneath the shadows. “...Make that three please.”

After paying for their treats, Ryoma and Azura walked over to where Hinoka was. Hinoka gave a glance towards her brother who held out a cake for her. The red-haired princess eyed the snack before silently taking it. The three ate them in silence. Hinoka looked to the girl beside her brother, who took large bites of the taiyaki. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. 

But she had to remind herself, this girl was Nohrian. The kingdom that killed her father. She wouldn’t see her for long. Because Kamui was going to come back to Hoshido. Hinoka would beg for her forgiveness, and they can begin to fix their family. 

* * *

_ September 18th, 1494 AD _

Mikoto slowly collapsed as she stumbled into the room, tears flowed from her eyes. Her children rushed over to her side, asking her what happened in shakened voices. Azura kept herself seated at the table that they were around, watching the scene unfold.

The Queen was wrapped up in certain businesses for the past few days. Mikoto kept a smile on her face as she and Yukimura discussed manners that Azura could not pick up on. So to see the woman crash into despair was shocking.

“Mother, what happened?” Ryoma asked as he helped her up. Mikoto looked between the five children in the room with her, unable to regain her composure. “How did the negotiations with Nohr go?”

Mikoto shook her head, choking back the tears building up. “I-I’m sorry… Kamui is… They say she’s missing, even sended out a ‘search party’.”

“But they’re lying…” Hinoka balled her fists together as her teeth clenched. 

“That is… Most likely the case.” Mikoto shut her eyes as she slowly regained some balance. “Nohr has effectively shut down what little contact with us… But they’ll allow this search team to run on until they find Kamui.”

“Or until they give up…” Ryoma seethed, “Because they have Kamui! I know they do!”

Mikoto bit her lip, unable to properly respond to that. She looked to Takumi and Sakura, who slowly wrapped their tiny arms around her. She reciprocated, bringing her youngest closer to her. However the Queen realized that there was another hand pressing against her arm. Opening her eyes, she discovered that Azura stood next to her. The girl looked to be lost, yet her eyes seemed to glisten with the faintest glint of hope.

“A-am I… Am I going home?” Those words broke her. Mikoto tried her best to keep some reservation yet the welling of her eyes revealed the truth.

Without another thought, Mikoto brought the girl into her arms. Azura stood frozen, unable to grasp what was going on. She was going home right? Her father… He still wanted her back home, right?

Garon wouldn’t abandon her… Right? He would fight for her… He would fight her to return home. He had to...

* * *

_ April 16th, 1506 _

_ You are the ocean’s gray waves, destined to seek _

_ Life beyond the shore, just out of reach _

_ Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time _

_ The path is yours to climb _

Azura stopped there to catch her breath. The princess of no nation in particular stood at the lakeside on the outskirts of Shirasagi. The wooden docks were warm at her feet and the waters before her rippled at her voice. She looked down to her pendant, it’s blue gem glowed as it slowly floated back down. 

She looked to Castle Shirasagi, it’s structure towered over her as the orange sun hit its body with its brilliant glow. This was her home now, for twelve years she’s stayed here and she’ll probably never leave. Azura would not complain, as Hoshido was a beautiful country with very little conflict inside it’s walls. However she would be lying if she did not wish to see Nohr one last time.

While Nohr did not have the radiance of Hoshido, it did offer plenty in its culture. And… she wanted to visit her mother’s grave, maybe even see her old room. Azura couldn’t even remember the details of her face, all she had of her was her pendant and her song.

This strange pendant that clung to her neck like a beautiful leech. And a song that seemed to manipulate the life around her...

“Azura!” A familiar voice rang from above her. Azura flinched the sudden force of wind that emerged from behind her. 

She turned her head to see Hinoka, clad in her sky knight armor. The red-headed princess hopped off her tenma, Tomoe, and rushed over to Azura with a worried expression. Her breaths were heavy as she stopped at the foot of the docks. 

"What's wrong, Hinoka?" Azura asked in a low voice. 

"I… You haven't heard, have you?" Azura shook her head. Hinoka gave a rough sigh, "Nohrians, they've taken one of our bases near Cheve. Captured Kaze and The Flame Tribe's daughter along with the men hulled up there. It's been leaked to the public!"

"I… I don't understand why you felt so inclined to inform me." Azura mentally cringed at how that came off but Hinoka paid no mind to her tone. 

"Because if anyone finds you, you're going to be harrassed." Hinoka gently grabbed Azura by the arm and led her to Tomoe, "C'mon, let's head back to Shirasagi. Ryoma and Mother should be able to ease the people soon enough." 

The two got on the tenma, the horse took a quick gallop before lifting off. Azura clung to her sister‒of sorts‒as the ride began to rise in altitude. The blue haired royal witnessed the whole Shirasgi from above. Each building was like a brush stroke against a canvas painting. 

Hoshido was indeed beautiful, but it wasn't home. Neither was Nohr, it was a distant memory of hers. Azura sighed, shutting her eyes from the sight. Directing her attention to whatever she could find. 


	5. A New Beginning

The coarse ground below her was the first thing that came to her. Next was the darkness that blanketed her sight. Then the sounds of a hollow ringing that echoed into her ears. And there was the smell of rainwater that stung her nostrils. 

_ 'Where am I?' _ Corrin attempted to speak but the question only came out as a thought. 

She stood up, her feet grazing the prickled ground. Corrin looked down in pain, only to notice what she was wearing. A white dress with an aqua blue sash that was wrapped around her waist and attached to a clip on her shoulder. She wore a long white glove on her right, a white legging on her left, and a silk headpiece. 

_ 'Weird… I don't remember sleeping in this."  _ Corrin stretched out her arms and inspected her clothing further.  _ 'Or… in a cave, for that matter." _

The princess slowly moved forward. The lack of light prevented her from knowing where she was going. Luckily her lack of footwear came in handy, as she felt the ground become smooth. A path, Corrin figured. 

Following it was her only viable option, perhaps she could find any source of light on the way. Corrin didn't think any further and slowly treaded this path. Each footstep was carefully placed, making sure not to step on any further rough terrain. 

She raised her head, discovering a purple flicker of light on the wall before her. Corrin ran for it. Each step she took heavier than the last. And each one seemed to drain her. As she got closer, Corrin felt her body grow weaker. 

"Oof!" Corrin felt herself collide with someone. Not enough to knock her off her feet but enough to hurt her. "Ow… Hey, are you alright?"

The princess flinched in surprise at the fact that she could talk once again. However her attention was directed to the person she could not see. 

They were silent, the only thing that could be heard from them was, "We can't escape..."

"Huh?" Corrin backpedaled at the voice of a young girl, stern and solemn. She suddenly felt two slender arms wrap around her, the girl began to tremble as she held onto Corrin. "W-What are you…?" 

"He'll destroy everything…" 

"He?" Corrin gently pushed the girl off of her and looked her in the eyes. From what she could make out; she was young, probably a teenager. "Who are you talking about? What's going on?!" 

"P-Please…" 

The quaking of the earth nearly knocked her off balance. The girl held onto her tighter as a purple spark lighted their vision. Corrin raised her head to see the dark flicker from before, its ember spread like a wildfire. It's flames enveloped a part of the wall, burning away the haze of black.

The stone began to lean forward as the fire seared away the darkness. Tremors rumbled the ground below them. Corrin could hear the roof above them begin to crumble as dust covered her vision. 

With a loud crack, what was on the wall emerged into vision. It was a large stone face that hovered before them. Corrin slowly began to walk backwards, holding onto the girl who refused to separate from her. The edges of the face’s mouth before to splinter and crack, it’s jaw slowly stretched as a bellow emerged from it. Corrin attempted to run but found no control over her body. 

“Please…” The girl softly said as she turned her head towards the princess. Corrin finally able to see the girl clung to her. 

Dark gray hair that was tied into a ponytail, snow white skin, a dark blue coat with honey gold accents, and ruby red eyes. Corrin froze in shock seeing the girl’s appearance. She looked like‒

The roar of a beast knocked her out of her thoughts. Corrin felt her skin prickle as shadows casted over the two of them. Her breathes began to increase as her skin began to sear with an ice cold touch. She turned her head, discovering the stone beast about to devour the two of them as time slowed down. 

Corrin looked to the girl, who looked sad rather than terrified. With one last movement of her lips before darkness enveloped the both of them. She uttered…

“Please don’t die… Please…”

* * *

_ April 18th, 1506 AD _

“WAUGH!” Corrin shot up from her bed, her breaths hefty and her skin was ice cold. 

“Oops, I guess we overdid it…” Flora bowed her head in apology as did her sister. “Forgive us Lady Corrin, but it’s time to get ready.”

“W-What?” Corrin looked around the room, finding her maids looming over her bedside with Jakob and Gunter near the door to her bedroom. Right, then that means that the whole ordeal was just a dream… A very realistic one but it was just a dream.

“You have sparring practice with your brother, remember?” Gunter spoke up, pointing to the window. 

Corrin leered outside, scowling at the pink sunlight outside her home. With a sigh, she pushed aside her sheets and smoothed out the wrinkles in her nightgown. The princess gave a hefty yawn as she rubbed her eyes, “Alright… Mm, I’m honestly kinda glad you two woke me up. I was having such a strange nightmare…”

“What was it, milady?” Felicia asked, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side as she walked beside her. 

Corrin gnawed on her lip before answering, "I was in this cave of sorts and then there was this girl who kept clinging onto me… And then… It’s just too nonsensical to describe.”

“I suppose that’s a given for dreams,” Jakob surmised, stepping into the room with a bow of his head. “Now milady, Lord Xander is waiting for you… I have prepared your armor for you and fixed up the dents after your last bout with your brother.”

“Ugh… Don’t remind me.” Corrin rubbed her left shoulder after that last strike from Xander. It wasn’t in physical pain, just the memory from that blow caused her to ache.

With a vigorous leap, Corrin jumped out of bed and walked with her retainers to get fitted for her spar with Xander on the roof. Though that dream would still latch onto her mind as she walked. It felt so real, and yet it couldn’t be…

Who was that girl and that monster that appeared in front of them?

* * *

Corrin was tossed aside by Xander’s swing, her back sliding across the floor as her iron sword fell beside her. She raised her head to see Xander standing tall a few feet away from her. A figure of willpower and steel, a symbol of Nohr. Corrin stared at him slightly while grunting from her aching bruises. 

“It seems that our dear sister has a bit of a drowsy spell on her.” Corrin turned to see Leo spectating at the base of the arena. Her younger brother smugly gazing upon the fight, dressed as if he were at a social gathering rather than a duel. Leo laughed once again, “You aren’t going to best anything by sleeping all day!”

Corrin let out a quiet growl and leered at her brother for his taunts. Weakly raised herself with large huffs in between. Her eyes caught Xander, who stared at her with steeled eyes. 

“Do you give up so quickly?” Xander asked coldly, “I had expected more from you. A true Nohrian barters on strength, they never give in to their enemy!” 

The princess caught a lump in her throat at those words, “X-Xander, I‒”

“We go through such rigorous training to be able to defend our country and ourselves.” Xander paused, taking a breath before speaking in a calm voice. “Father has kept track of your progress, if you give up now and accept defeat then you may never leave this fortress. Ever.”

“What?!” Corrin immediately shot to her feet, picking up her sword on the way up. “Xander, that can’t be true! One simple loss is not enough to lock me up here!”

“To surrender yourself to your enemy is proof enough to know how you would fare on the battlefield.” Xander twirled his blade and smirked as he saw Corrin’s eyes sharpen and her stance readied. “But I see you are quite motivated, so let that fire be the turning point to best me. To win this, you must force me to kneel to you.”

Corrin swallowed slightly as Xander raised his blade, “Alright… Just need you to kneel.”

The princess charged forward, aiming for Xander’s legs. She swung with the passion of a shakened child, she did not wish to seriously harm her elder brother. Xander blocked her attack and struck her in the face with a swift jab with his elbow. Corrin recoiled from the strike as she held onto her bruised cheek. 

“You swing with hesitation.” Xander chided, “Strike me with the intent of killing me!”

“Xander, that’s‒!” 

“This may be a sparring match, but this is also a test of your will.” Xander interjected before she could speak further, “Show me you have the strength to harm me!”

Corrin gritted her teeth and raised her blade. She didn’t need to kill him, she just needed to get him on his knees. 

With a quick dash, Corrin leveled her blade as she were to plunge it into Xander’s chest. She saw how her brother readied his blade, most likely scoffing at what seemed to be a head-on rush. Her brother sidestepped out of the way, Corrin hopped behind him. Catching him off guard, she made her move. She kicked him in the back of his right knee. Then struck his left with the pommel of her sword. 

She raised her blade, making a clean scrape against his armor that left a shallow cut into the metal. It wasn’t enough to carve into it but it was enough to force Xander to lean forward. Corrin pushed Xander down by his right shoulder, creating a low enough platform for her to leap onto his shoulders and push him down with a quick stomp. 

Corrin flipped off of her brother and twirled around, pointing the tip of her sword to his forehead.

“I… Ha… Win!” Corrin quietly cheered as she held onto her chest. Xander simply chuckled as he raised himself without much problem. 

“So you did, It may have not been a fair victory but a victory is still a victory.” Her brother walked off his bruises without a hint of ache. Making Corrin question if he let her win…

“I doubt Gunter would teach you such a sly way of victory,” Leo walked up to the two of them with a smirk, “Sister, I’m surprised you would make such a play. Perhaps  _ he _ has rubbed off on you.”

Corrin awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, “I… I guess I mirrored a bit of August’s style from our sparring matches. Gods, I can’t seem to count how many times he’s pulled a similar move on me.” The princess raised her sword as she reflected on their previous matches. “I’m surprised how many matches I’ve won against his dirty tactics.”

Xander smiled at this, “Then it is true, you are getting stronger every day. Must be a natural talent of yours to be able to pull off such stunts.” Corrin blushed at his approval, hiding her face behind her left hand. “Perhaps one days, you may even be the greatest warrior in Nohr.”

“Oh, come on now!” Corrin awkwardly laughed, “You’re just teasing me now.”

Xander shook his head, “I don’t joke about such manners. Corrin, you have the potential to help bring light to our kingdom.”

Leo scoffed at such flowery words, “Typical praise, swordplay isn’t the only showcase of strength.”

“Leo, he didn’t mean it like that…” Corrin's words caused Leo to scoff once again.

“Let’s not bring competition into this.” Xander said calmly, “Leo, you have no reason to prove yourself. You’ve shown your prowess in your crafts, you as well can help bring hope to Nohr just as much as Corrin.”

“Hm,” Leo folded his arms, “Well just keep in mind that waving around pointy metal sticks isn't the only path to power.”

Corrin nodded as she looked to her younger brother. And as she stared at him, she noticed something wrong with the coat he wore. With a quick cough into her fist, she got his attention. “I… I’ve noticed something wrong, Leo.”

“With what? Is it so important that you needed to derail this conversation?” 

“Maybe? It’s just that your coat is inside out.” Leo jolted in surprise at his sister’s words. Looking down to his coat did he find it’s color to be more diluted and it’s fabric fuzzy. 

“G-Gah!” 

“Yes, I wondered when you would notice that…” Xander chuckled as Leo scrambled to take it off and fix his mistake. 

“Ugh… I must have looked like a fool!” Leo growled as he slipped his coat back on, leaving the collar popped. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Haha, sorry, Leo.” Xander his laughter behind his hand, “But that sort of thing is what makes you so lovable.”

“Absolutely…” Another voice arrived onto the scene. Turning their heads to it, they found their sister Camilla alongside their youngest sister Elise. They two walked side-by-side as they arrived at the arena. 

Camilla laughed as she walked to her younger brother. "I suppose it's just one of your little quirks that make you so adorable. Like that little headband of yours." 

Leo blushed, flinching at the mention of the word ‘cute’. "This isn't meant to look cute! It's supposed to keep my hair in place!" 

Corrin snickered at Leo's embarrassment. "It does make you look rather feminine." 

"It does not!" 

Elise, wanting to have fun as well, decided to join on this little ribbing. "Maybe I should call you Big Sister Leo, huh?" 

"S-STOP INSULTING ME!" 

"Alright, he's had enough of your taunts." Xander stopped Leo's torment but he could be seen having a smile of his own. 

The eldest sibling's demeanor became more serious as he stepped closer to his family. "I'm glad you're all here, because I have some news from Father." 

Camilla blinked in surprise, "Well now, don't keep us in suspense. Tell us what you need to say." 

Xander nodded before facing Corrin. The princess hugged her sword close to her body, waiting in anticipation. Completely unaware of what Xander was going to reveal. Her brother said the words she's been waiting to hear for almost her entire life. 

"Father has given me orders to take you back to the Castle. It's time to leave the fortress, Little Princess." 

* * *

“Milady? Are you okay?” Flora asked as she noticed Corrin doze off as she stared into her shelf of books.

“Y-Yeah…” Corrin dipped her head into a nod before picking out novels to bring, “It’s just… I can’t believe this day is actually coming true! Gods, how much do you think the carriage can hold? A lot? Maybe I should travel light, I don’t want the horses to carry too much… How much can a horse carry? How many horses are‒”

“Milady, I don’t think you really need to worry about that.” Flora laughed, kneeling beside Corrin to help pack up her books. They picked out stories of romance, adventure, actually fun stuff to read. So one book on the shelf caused them to double-take.

“The History of Eastern Philosophy?” Flora read out the title with a bit of a laugh, “I’m guessing that this isn’t one of yours, huh?” 

“Don’t know how this got in here,” Corrin took the large book into her hands, raising a brow at how one could even read such a thing. “I wonder where August is… He was supposed to come back home a few days ago. Gods, what happens if he shows up to an empty fortress?” 

August was called to Notre Sagesse to meet with his mentor, the rainbow sage. For what reason, he didn't clarify. He claimed it was to be an easy trip, probably take him a week to get back. But since they were to leave for Krakenburg the next morning…

"Lady Corrin," Another voice arose from behind them. The stable girl, Lilith, placed down the box she packed. "Perhaps I should alert the guards when he does arrive." 

Corrin nodded at the idea, signalling for her to do as she proposed. "Good idea. Oh, and make sure that they know to tell him to pack his own stuff when he gets here!" 

The princess equalized the weight of the stack that reached her head, her arms shaking as she attempted to walk with it. Luckily Flora spared her from this burden‒ taking the book from the top and lessening the load. The two walked side-by-side to where the travel crate was. Jakob and Felicia were currently folding Corrin’s clothes into individual boxes. 

“Ah, Lady Corrin!” Jakob greeted her as she placed her books into the chest. “I’ve taken the time to organize your clothes by fabric, it should help unpacking when we do arrive.” The butler eyed Felicia, who folded at a quick yet sloppy speed and placed each attire without much concern for the unloading. “I’ll… help unpack the ones she’s done when we arrive.”

“Thank you, Jakob.” Corrin nodded, not really caring much either way but still appreciated the extra effort. 

The princess went to place the packed boxes of clothes into the crate, each one felt heavier after the other. Perhaps it was still too unbelievable to accept, she was really leaving the fortress. Though what would happen next was still too unclear and the possible future for her muddled with her focus. 

Perhaps tensions arose with Hoshido and she was to serve as a figurehead for the army much like Xander? Or she was to take the role as an official representing Nohr in its expansion efforts? Or maybe, Gods help her if this happens, she was to be married off to some noble for Nohr’s political gain. Ugh… Damn August for putting that in her head!

And… speaking of August. She wished he was here. He may have left the fortress before her, but she wanted everyone to be here when the news came. It was probably one of the best days of her life and not everyone was here.

But not only that… She wanted to tell him about her strange dream. And tell him about that girl, who looked so similar to him. And that monster, that seemed to spark something in her. It was hard to describe but… while the thought of coming face-to-face with such a monster terrified her, it also filled her chest with an odd warmth.

Corrin shook her head at those thoughts. Mentally chastising herself for losing focus over some strange dream. Right now, she had to prepare her things for leave tomorrow.


	6. The Bottomless Canyon

_ April 20th, 1506 AD _

"Do you think Father is angry with me?" Corrin asked Elise as she stared down to her hands, folded on top of her thighs as she kept herself onto a chair in the living quarters. “After my trial, he didn’t speak another word with me.”

Elise waved off such a question, "No, Father isn't mad. He doesn't really get mad, happy, or sad…" 

"Why is that?" Her elder sister looked up at such a notion. 

The youngest princess' brows furrowed and her lips curled downward, "Xander says that Father wishes to keep an image of a strong leader to inspire hope, so he sacrifices his emotions for that. I think that's why he's so distant with all of us. But… I think that just shows how much he wants to protect everyone!" 

"I see…" Corrin’s lips tightened at the thought. It made sense, but she didn’t fully understand why their Father kept such a front. 

Amidst this, Jakob stepped into the room. He looked between the two princesses and bowed his head, “Miladies, I’ve been sent to call for you by order of King Garon. He wishes to discuss matters of importance in the throne room.” 

“Thank you Jakob,” Corrin nodded as she stood up from her chair alongside her sister. She turned to Elise and whispered as they followed the butler down the castle corridors, “What do you think father wants to talk to us about?”

“I dunno…” Elise brought a finger to her chin in thought, “But, it’s probably work related…”

Corrin hummed in understanding as they walked down Krakenburg’s overly whelmingly large halls. Being inside the castle had caused the young princess to feel miniscule, the faint colors of gray had added onto the desolate feeling of the place. She was happy to be here, of course, but… it certainly wasn’t what she was expecting. 

The three eventually made it to the large ornate door to the throne room. Elise turned to Corrin as Jakob was about to open the door. The youngest of the royals reassured her sister, who was tight lipped and skittish at the thought of meeting with Garon. 

“Come on, Father’s waiting for us.” She smiled, causing Corrin’s lips to do the same. The princess turned to Jakob, who opened the door with a bow of his head. 

The doors opened, revealing their father sitting upon the throne as he spoke to two other individuals. One was Iago, who hid a smile behind his curled hand as Garon finished speaking. The other was a bald burly man in berserker armor, his face creased into a sharp gaze as he nodded at the king. Though a faint smile could be seen on his face.

“Father? You called for me?” Corrin sheepishly asked as the three turned their attention to her. 

Garon nodded, resting the side of his face on his fist. “Yes, after your battle with the Hoshidan prisoners‒ though not to my full expectations ‒I was impressed with your leadership and combat skills. You said that you were willing to aid Nohr in our endeavours, then I have a task for you to prove that your words were not empty.”

Elise tilted her head at that, “A task? Isn’t that a little too soon? She just got here, and we haven’t even finished unpacking yet.”

“Peace, daughter…” Garon waved off his child’s question, “This mission is relatively simple, there’s an abandoned Hoshidan fortress that is perched on the border between Nohr and Hoshido. If this fort is still active, then it’s likely that Hoshido has plans to be aggressive in our conflict‒ Though I doubt that to be the case… I want you to investigate, and then return to report your findings.”

“Of course,” Corrin bowed her head, “Will I be joined by any troops?”

“Unfortunately, no… Most of the men here are stationed solely to defend Windmire, the ones that are flexible in their roles are sent on a different mission.” His eyes glanced over to the berserker, who nodded once again. “So you will be joined by your retainers for this mission.”

Jakob gave a wide smile as he bowed before the king, “And I will protect Lady Corrin with my life, be it any mongrel that stands before us!”

“...Yes, of course.” Garon sighed before looking to his daughter, “If you truly do wish to do good for our kingdom, then prove that you can at least do this.”

Corrin blinked at the very simple task that was given to her, inspecting some fort. While it wasn’t unappreciated, it was still strange for her father to assign to her. Especially since King Garon is not a man known for being merciful. 

Despite that, the princess nodded in agreement, “Very well, I’ll show you that I’m willing to offer myself for Nohr.” She hid her smirk behind her hands and whispered to herself, “Especially for something as simple as this…”

“The trek to the border will take a day,” Garon informed as he stood up from his chair, “You are to leave in the morning and to return when the sun wanes. Prepare yourself by then.”

With that last note, the king walked with the two threatening looking men at his side. Leaving Corrin pondering her circumstance. She was given a simple role to travel to this fort yet something about this felt… off. As if she were walking into danger by accepting this task, but… she really couldn’t prove anything wrong about it.

Not only that, but her father had expectations of her to do this. For his approval, she had to do this. 

* * *

_ April 21th, 1506 AD _

The five royales stood in the castle’s great hall, where they discussed the mission that Corrin was to embark on. The middle daughter was dressed in her armor and the Ganglari sword at her hip. In the stables near the entrance, her servants waited for her with horses. 

“Darling, are you sure you’re going to be ok out there? I don’t like this…” Camilla curled a lock of her lavender hair around a finger in worry at the possibility of something going wrong.

The elven haired princess shrugged as she equipped the Ganglari, “It should be fine, it’s only an abandoned fort. So I should be able to make it home for supper.”

“It does seem quite odd…” Leo rubbed his chin in thought, “Hoshido suddenly abandoning a fort, especially one near the border. It seems too implausible to even‒”

“Hey, that’s enough!” Elise interjected before Leo could continue his pondering, “Don’t be so worried all the time, sheesh…”

The prince sighed, “I’m just… Something about this all feels off, especially knowing Iago had given father the idea.” 

The royales cringed at the thought of their father’s tactician, causing Corrin to tilt her head. She looked to Xander, whose lips were still tightened into a frown.

“What’s wrong with Mister Iago?” She innocently asked, causing her siblings to frown even more. 

Xander spoke up, relaxing his expression into a stony face. “That man is a sly demon, I’ve seen him work outside of father’s authority and manipulate him to get what he wants. The new churches are an example of that.”

Corrin widened her eyes in surprise at Xander’s disdain, “What churches? Do you mean the ones to Erobos?”

“No, it would seem that Iago has planted a different god into Nohr,” Xander furrowed his brows as he looked to his sister, “The Silent Dragon… A god without a true name. Something about it all seems off‒ Ever since the churches’ construction, it’s been brewing something in Nohr.”

Amidst this conversation, a familiar voice rose. Iago called out to the five of them with a smirk on his face. Beside him was the same berserker from before, who clung onto a large axe at his side. The five tensed at their presence. 

"Lady Corrin," Iago greeted with a bow, "I see you're prepared for your mission. I do hope the sword I've made for you will serve you well." 

"What are you doing here?" Leo spat. 

Iago raised his hand in peace, "I'm simply organizing my associate, Hans', mission. On orders of King Garon himself…" 

"And what is this mission, you speak of?" Xander asked in an accusing tone. 

"That's between me and the higher ups," The man known as Hans fired back, "So don't go questioning me, princeling." 

The crown prince kept his face hardened, despite the growing hatred he held towards the berserker. As Hans walked to the door, he kept his sharp glare on the stoic Xander. 

Iago smirked at the scene that had played out, "Well, I believe that it's my time to leave as well. Farewell, princess… I do hope you meet our expectations." 

As the mage left, Corrin dropped the fake smile she showed him. She shivered after witnessing him once more. The presence of that man gave her chills- Be it his appearance or sinister-like nature. 

"Xander, who was that big guy with the scary face?" Elise asked as she tugged at her eldest brother’s sleeve. 

“Hans, a criminal that I had arrested a few years ago. A murderer and a scoundrel…” The prince rubbed his temple as his brows creased, “Father had him enlisted in his guard after the rehabilitation in prison‒ though I doubt that to be anything of the sort. So whatever mission he’s sent on, it must involve the need of brute force.”

“Sheesh, good thing I’m not heading off with him…” Corrin cringed at the thought of the beastly man. Whatever task that Garon sent him on, she only had awful things brewing in her head. 

Once Corrin turned towards the door, she felt slender arms wrapping around her. Camilla kept her in a tight hug that halted her movements. The eldest princess turned to Xander as she held onto Corrin, “Maybe I should go along as well, to make sure Corrin is safe.”

“Let’s not impede her any further, Camilla.” Xander gently broke his sister’s apart. He looked to Camilla, “She’s an adult now, she’ll be fine.”

“Yes, I will.” Corrin reassured her elder sister, who gave a weak smile at her enthusiasm. “I’ll be back as soon as you know it!”

With those final goodbyes, Corrin was off to venture to the Hoshidan border. The princess rode beside Jakob and Gunter for this mission. The two agreed to join her while her maids stayed at Castle Krakenburg alongside Lilith.

As much as Corrin wanted all of her friends to join her in her first journey outside of the Northern Fortress, they had to press on without them at her side. She had to impress Garon, and she had to make sure that she would never go back into the cage. 

* * *

The three of them made their way to the infamous Bottomless Canyon. A large fracture in the earth that split the Eastern and West half of Ragea into two. It’s chasm ran deep into the ground, causing it to look like a deep pit to hell. They stopped at the rim of the canyon, where a wooden bridge was suspended over it. 

“This is the Bottomless Canyon,” Corrin sheepishly smiled as her eyes lingered at the darkness within the chasm. She looked to Gunter and Jakob, “I doubt that the name is true, r-right?”

“Lady Corrin, if you are afraid of heights, you can stay at the base of the bridge if you wish?” Jakob asked, causing Corrin to give an exaggerated shake of her head.

“No, no! I’m… fine.” She swallowed her fears for a moment. Corrin mustered up a smile and stood up straight, “It wouldn’t be right to let you two do all the hard work, y’know?” 

After that, Corrin began to put one foot over the other to traverse through the bridge. Once her feet pressed against the boards, she found it to be quite sturdy. She looked to Jakob and Gunter, who had no trouble with the surface. Gunter was able to somehow get his horse onto the platform… somehow.

The princess turned back to the front, she saw several branching paths on cliffs and platforms that had led to the Hoshidan fort. She would have let out a sigh of relief, knowing that she was to be done here… If not for what she had seen. 

From the fort, came several soldiers garbed in Hoshidan armor. They raised their curved blades as they gazed upon the three in the distance. A ninja stepped forward, calling out to the three. 

"Nohrians! You have entered the borders of Hoshido! For that you must pay!" Corrin did a double take at the sudden threat. 

The princess raised her hands, "Wait! We just came here because we thought this place was abandoned! I swear we didn't come here for a fight!" 

"Tsk, you Nohrians will die here!" Her words were ignored, the soldiers readied their weapons. 

Corrin gritted her teeth, her patience lost dealing with these Hoshidans. She turned to Jakob and Gunter, "Looks like we have to fight… Gunter, I need… Gunter?" 

The elder man scrunched his face as he saw the soldiers, trying to get a cleaner look at them. He voiced his thoughts aloud, "Something's wrong here… Those soldiers are not using Hoshidan weapons, some of them aren't wearing the right armor." 

Corrin looked back to the troops, confirming Gunter's observation. There were soldiers who had axes and straight swords like the ones found in Nohr. As for their attire, they had the garbs as seen on the pages of August's books. However they were lined with armor plating that also looked to have been Nohrian. 

"Focus on that later, old man!" Jakob shouted as he readied his knife. "We have enemies before us!" 

The two nodded at the butler's words. Gunter gripped his lance while Corrin readied her dark blade. They were outnumbered, so they had to be smart about this. Corrin closed her eyes to search for dragon veins, finding two at the island to the south. 

As archers began laying down fire, the three immediately rushed across the bridge. Corrin closed her eyes and hastily focused her mind to create a wall of stone that blocked the volley being sent their way. 

The princess looked to Gunter and shouted, “Cut the bridge! Make sure they can get to us!”

The great knight complied, quickly rushing to slash away at the rope that held the path to them. This act allowed them to get some time to think about their situation. Corrin held her shoulder, where an arrow had hit her armor and dented into it. Leaving her in an uncomfortable state with her shoulder being restricted. 

“Milady, do you need me to heal you?” Jakob asked, clenching his healing staff.

Corrin shook her head as she removed her hand from it, “No, we need to save that in case of real emergency. But… how do we get out of this one? Why are these Hoshidans like this?”

“Yes… These Hoshidans.” Gunter pondered to himself as his mind lingered on the soldiers’ equipment. With a deep breath, he focused himself on the fight before them. “We’re just going to have to make them surrender, if we take over the base then we should be able to have an advantage over them. But we’ll have to be smart about it.”

Corrin furrowed her brows in thought before nodding along to the plan, “Sounds good. There’s one more dragon vein on this island, if we make a bridge then we’ll have to power through the soldiers.”

With that, they went as planned. Corrin created a stone platform from the dragon vein that shook the island that the Hoshidans were on. Gunter led the charge, rushing in on horseback with his lance. He was to scare the Hoshidans off, challenging them with great force on a path that they could fall to their deaths from. 

Despite those odds, the soldiers rushed forward without a trace of fear. Samurai rushed in with their katanas as archers laid down covering fire. The three rushed in despite their odds, Gunter leading the charge with Corrin and Jakob following behind. The butler threw knives that struck the enemy with grace and skill as his liege fended off the samurai. 

Corrin’s opponent seemed more focused on parrying her attacks, making every possible attempt to rush for one of her comrades. Once their blades were pressed against each other, she was able to get a good look at him. He had the eastern features present in Hoshido, however one thing stood out. This man had gold eyes, neither present in Nohr or Hoshido. 

In the midst of her observation, the samurai rushed for Gunter. While the elder knight was busy dealing with one of the archers, he was attacked by the soldier. With a quick wit, the old man tossed aside the soldier’s weapon and quickly ran him through with his lance. Corrin watched in horror at the sight.

She saw the young man spit out his own blood and twitch as life left his body. Her tutor pulled out his lance with a straight face. Once his eyes turned to Corrin, he had caused her to flinch. The old man kept his tone gentle but his volume loud, “Lady Corrin, we’ll have to retreat! There’s too many here!” 

Corrin steeled herself, keeping her mind at the real danger before them. She looked back to the Hoshidans, their archers aiming their bows at the threat. With a hard swallow, she nodded. The three rushed for the western half of the canyon as arrows were sent their way. Gunter kept himself in the back to protect Corrin and Jakob. 

“Don’t let them escape!” One of the Hoshidans shouted, “We have our orders to kill those two!” 

As they ran, Corrin pondered what they meant‒ when there were obviously three of them. But before they could reach the end, they were stopped when pegasi flew in and blocked their path. Sky knights raised their lances at them as Samurai rushed in to block off the other side. 

“Damn it…” Corrin cursed, raising her Ganglari blade. “We’re just gonna have to power through this again.” 

Gunter nodded, rushing in with lance in hand at a great speed. His charge caused the sky knights to elevate to avoid the attack, allowing Jakob and Corrin to head to the end of the bridge. But once they made it to the end, they were struck.

Not by an arrow, but by a ball of fire. Jakob took the blow of this blast, sending the butler to the ground and knocking him out. Corrin and Gunter turned back to the Hoshidans, who were behind a mage clad in archer attire. In his hand was a tome‒ yet Hoshidan diviners used scrolls. 

Corrin immediately rushed over to her unconscious butler while Gunter kept his lance aimed at the enemy before them. He announced in a cold tone, “I know you aren’t Hoshidan, so enough of the act! Tell me, who sent you for us? King Garon? That scum, Iago?”

The mage sneered as he gripped onto his tome, “You won’t need to take that knowledge to your grave, old man. For this will be your parting gift!” 

With a hand wreathed in purple flame, the mage casted a spell that caused a thick mist to form before them. From this mist, shot out a large hand of gray mass. The beast swiped away the mist, revealing it’s hulking form. Before them stood a monster in chained attire with a holed mask covering it’s visage. 

The monster raised its arms and charged for the elder knight. Gunter immediately equipped his axe to cut into the beast’s neck. But once the axe dug into the stump, the monster simply swept away at the knight. It launched Gunter off the bridge, causing him to fall into the canyon.

“Gunter!” Corrin cried out as she held onto Jakob. Her grip onto his unresponsive body tightened, her teeth barred, and her vision grew red. The ‘Hoshidans’ moved past the large creature to stare at the princess. 

“We’ve finished our mission here…” One of the samurai said to the mage, “But what about her? She’s seen too much…”

The mage gave a tired sigh as he raised his tome, “Well, if it were to come to this… We would have to bring her body back to Nohr to rally her dear siblings.”

Corrin stood up before anything further could happen, the Ganglari hung at her side as she instinctively raised her arm. She looked to the soldiers with unbridled fury. The soldiers pedaled back at the sight of her. They stood shocked at the change in her body.

The princess’ eyes became a burning red as her skin became scales. Her left arm began to morph into spirals that took the shape of a spear. From her head grew two large antlers and her teeth became sharp as knives. Corrin let out a distorted roat as she raised her arm and pounced. 

Her spear-like appendage struck the faceless monster, slicing into its hide. Corrin’s arm began to morph once again, forming a large jaw that opened up and launched a powerful blast of water that pierced through the monster’s torso. Once the beast keeled over, she moved onto the rest of the flock. 

Before any further death could occur, the purple flame of Ganglari began to burn brighter. Corrin was able to regain a sense of herself as the sword began to pull her. Her grip tightened as the blade flew upwards and then darting into the canyon. 

The sudden shock of it brought Corrin back to reality, and her reality was that she was to meet her end at the bottom of the chasm. The princess closed her eyes and braced herself. The few moments she had left, Corrin was unable to process it all. All she wanted… was to see more than what was outside her tower.

“My kin, my gods, my blood…” A familiar voice began. Corrin opened her eyes to see Lilith falling in front of her, the stable girl clasped her hands into a prayer as her body began to glow. “Dragons grant me strength! Great Moro, I beseech you!” 

Those were the last words Corrin heard before her vision was blinded with a blast of white. She began to fall dazed at the shock, last feeling the state of being lifted before she blacked out completely. 


End file.
